Cradle of Solitude finds our heroine Annya Creed on a lost treasure hunt. While in Paris on what seems to be yet another vacation, Annya is asked by the local police to consult in an urgent matter. The locals, it seems, have found the skeletal remains of a Confederate States of America (CSA) Captain by the name of William Parker. Parker somehow ended up dead in an underground catacomb under the streets of Paris and the police want to know how.

As the flashback indicates, Capt Parker was tasked by President Jefferson Davis in the year 1865 to find a hiding place for the Souths treasure of $700,000 so it didn't fall into the North's hands. The North by this time, had pretty much won the war, and was moving quickly to surround Richmond, Virginia. How Parker ended up in Paris is part of the mystery and conspiracy that leads Annya from France to Georgia, to Antietam and Gettysburg.

Annya is not alone in her determination to find the missing treasure. There is an infamous organization called Order of the Golden Phoenix lead by Blaine Michaels, that will do anything to keep the treasure a secret and ensure that nobody knows what really happened to Captain Parker. That means eliminating anyone who comes in contact with it's knowledge and secrets.

Annya once again finds herself deep in mystery, suspense and bloodshed as those she meets along the way, fall by the wayside due to Michaels brutality. Her one companion in this search just happens to be someone that Annya doesn't quite trust; Garin Braden. Garin always seems to find a way to beat Annya to the treasure, and this time is no different. Garin also reveals a secret that Annya has been wondering about for years; How in the hell does he know where I am all the time?

I can't believe I've read 30 plus books in this series and I'm STILL not caught up with the series! This book was more interesting and fun than previous installments. I have been a history buff since a very small age, and when it comes to the Civil War, I'm an addict pure and simple. It's not because I liked the war or the devastation it caused. It's because it shows that this country has come a very long way since it's founding and we still have problems to deal with.

I like the fact that this particular author didn't try to sugar coat the war between the states. I like the fact that this author also uses historical characters like President Jefferson Davis of the CSA, and many of this officers in order to tell the tale.

I liked the revelation that the Order, or Friends of the South, was actually planning on betraying the South and making it one of their colonies in order to have easy access to cotton. If you allow your imagination to roam freely, you can really see that point of view happening. The only surprise is the fact that, to my knowledge, neither England nor France tried to invade the US during this brutal war in an effort to take back their colonies or territories.

I read this series because it's a cross between National Treasure, and Indiana Jones. The series is about a character is given the opportunity by fate to be a change for good, instead of evil. Annya still has issues and is still not sure of who to trust including Gavin Braden who once again appears in the story only to steal the spotlight away from Annya.

I read this series hoping that Annya will finally come to the realization that she can't go running around the world any longer hoping that she won't be recognized as the holder of Joan of Arc's legendary sword. How can she? She's front and center of Chasing History's Monsters, and she gets in trouble each and every time she tries to dig up the truth behind missing secrets.

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Thank you so much for those who stopped by and checked out my goodies for the week!

If you leave comments below, I shall endeavor to return the favor post haste :O)

DEEP BETRAYAL, which is a continuation of the story but told from Lily’s point of view. Here’s an excerpt:

For a moment all we did was stare. His green eyes brooding, yet as frightened as my own. His wet hair hanging in dark, twisted ropes against his olive-tanned face. His soaking wet board shorts pressing against my thighs. The hull closed in on us from all sides, and the small confines amplified my senses. Even the silence bounced around, echoing in my ears. The smell of patchouli hung heavy in the air. Heat licked up at us from the sand, and his breath was hot against my face.

“Look at you,” he said, and his voice was disappointed.

Expected publication: 2013 by Random House/ Delacorte

So, what do YOU think about this cover?

After reading Lies Beneath and loving it, I can't wait to see where this story goes!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Ravenous Dead, by Natasha Hoar, is the second novella in the Lost Souls series. Unfortunately, I have not read the first book (The Stubborn Dead) so I am a little behind the eight ball as it were. Rachel Miller is the protagonist and a member of the Order of Rescue Mediums. Her step-mother Clarissa Bellway seems to be one of the main people in charge. ORM is dedicated to the removal of stubborn or violent entities thus ensuring peace.

Rachel has taken in Kit Elkeles a rodach with wraith like abilities that seem to come out when he is angry. It seems to be her job to get him ready for any mission that may come up. As I missed out on the first story, I am not that familiar as to the why he ended up with Rachel in the first place. What I do know is that Rachel is somehow ignoring the Orders rule by not moving on after a successful mission and is keeping Kit hidden from the rest of the Order while teaching him to be a more complete rodach.

The Ravenous Dead’s main point is that a reaper is killing people and it’s up to Rachel to discover the reapers identity and to “rescue” the spirits that he has captured. A Reaper is individuals who decided to cheat death by becoming another entity entirely. That entity feeds off the souls of the living. By having a reaper show up in her town of Vancouver, she truly believes that this reaper may be the one that took the life of her mentor when she was 16 and a cocky little piece of work.

Another interesting and mysterious character is Luke Holt. Holt is known as an Upper Coven and is part vampire who Rachel and Kit rescue from the Reaper. Rachel has some unresolved issues to confront while they hunt for the reaper. If you are looking for any sort of romance in this novel, you might be a little disappointed. This novel leans heavily in the UF genre and leaves out all the naughty and hot sex scenes you have come to expect from PNR novels.

There are plenty of questions remaining--enough that a third novel should be released sometime in the near future. I will have to add the next book to my ever growing TBR pile just to ensure that I finally get a better understanding about Luke Holt and who he really works for.

In closing, The Ravenous Dead is an interesting yet predictable story. The characters all have issues and are damaged in one way or the other. We get a glimpse into Rachel’s past and how she hasn’t exactly been an ideal candidate to hunt down and eliminate Reapers. Obviously, it would behoove anyone that follows me in reading this series, to ensure they pick up the first novella and read it first before diving into this one. As with the first book, this book is only 24,000 words in length. You can pretty much finish it in one sitting if you had the patience to do so.

Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini and the rest of the American Centaurion Diplomatic Corps are still recovering from their introduction to Washington D.C. politics, parties, and conspiracies. So when compromising pictures arrive, no one’s too surprised. They’re also the least of anyone’s worries.

Evil androids running amok, birds of all kinds and from all places creating havoc, a Senator trapped in an ever-tightening web of intrigue, and escalating international tensions all seem tough but manageable. But the disappearance of Jeff Martini and Charles Reynolds during the International One World Festival signals more than the usual nastiness — and it looks like even ACE can’t help them.

Then new trouble arrives in old packages and even with the best hackers in the world, beings from near and far, the full might of Earth’s military, and the Wonder Twins on their side, Centaurion Division’s outmanned and outgunned.

Now Kitty’s racing against the clock to find not only Jeff and Chuckie, but to keep the peace between Middle Eastern countries, all while searching for the bases of super-soldier operations — to stop them or die trying.

Monday, June 25, 2012

“It begins with absence and desire, it begins with blood and fear,” I whispered. “It began with a Discovery of Witches,” time responded.

SHADOW OF NIGHT takes place pretty much where A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES left off. Fledgling witch and historian Diana Bishop and Vampire Matthew de Clermont have traveled back in time to the year 1590 where the couple hopes to find a witch to help Diana unlock her powers and find information on the missing pages of the Ashmole 782 manuscript.

For Diana, Elizabethan England is a full 360 degrees turnaround from what she expected and is used to even with her background as a historian. With her eastern American accent being towed around like baggage, she sticks out like a sore thumb and as a witch; she is in danger of being outed before she can learn about her bound magic.

Diana also gets a first-hand look at Matthews School of Night which includes Christopher (Kit) Marlow, George Chapman, Thomas Harriot, and Sir Walter Raleigh. The school of night holds heretical opinions, and they don’t exactly agree with Queen Elizabeth’s choices and decisions.

Diana and Matthew have already broken the law by just being together. According to the Congregation, Daemons, Vampires, and Witches are prohibited from melding together and forming personal alliances. They are also prohibited from interfering in human policies when it comes to politics and religion. So, naturally, it shouldn’t come as a shock to the reader when a huge surprise is revealed that will turn the story on its head.

Harkness does more than an adequate job of describing the Elizabethan era, as well as another kingdom in Prague that Diana and Matthew are forced to travel to. I think the world building and character descriptions more than make up for the fact that this book is rather long winded at 592 pages.

I liked how Harkness gives brief glimpses into the present and how Diana and Matthew's actions are affecting everything they touch. I loved Diana's motherly affections towards two orphans that grew in the streets and how she really hated to leave them behind when it was time to return to their own time.

The story feels more like a historical novel, rather than a paranormal one which is totally fine with me. I really enjoyed the interaction between Matthew's father Philippe and Diana to the point of wishing we could see more of him. The relationship between Diana and Matthew has grown leaps and bounds and there is a huge surprise that Harkness throws in that will keep readers actively interested until the last page.

If you must know more about the characters that are introduced, you may look at the back of the book for each and every character and what they represent. I would have liked to see this in the front of the book, but that’s because I like things easily accessible.

The WTF moment of the book to me is the whole what happened to Emily (Sarah’s partner) between the end of A Discovery of Witches and this story and why didn't Harkness allow readers to find out? Obviously it was something bad, and in the line of saving someone's life from the bad guys.

“Black is the badge of true love lost. The hue of daemons, and the Shadow of Night.”

In summary, Shadow of Night is a novel that you must read if you have already read A Discovery of Witches. There is definitely more of a feeling that Diana has finally found her mojo and won’t wait around for anyone to get what she wants. She finally learns the truth about the fact that she’s a rare witch in that she can weave time and her own spells. She learns truths about her parents and has a warm reunion in the year 1591 with her father who has the same abilities.

I’m thankful to Penguin, Viking Adult, for allowing me early access to this title.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Celebrity in Death once again finds Lt. Eve Dallas, of the NYPSD, in the middle of a hot button murder investigation. When the actress portraying Detective Delia Peabody is found murdered, it is up to Eve to figure out who the killer was and what the motivation was. The Icove Agenda is a film based on one of Eve's more famous cases, and was written by Nadine Furst the reporter who gets a lot of her information from Eve.

The murder victim, K.T. Harris, is one of the more unsympathetic victims you will find in this series. Before her death, she was mean, angry, a blackmailer, an addict, a liar, and one who resorted to lying and blaming others for her problems. Had the murder not happened while Eve and crew were there at a party for the movie, the murder would have probably gone unreported by those who worked with her.

The mystery surrounding the actual villain was played nicely and succinctly right until the end. It wasn't until Eve and Roarke started digging into his past, that Aha! moment came to light.

I love Eve's character. She's still not settled over the fact that she killed her own father who had abused her until she killed him with her own two hands. She also had a hand in the death of her own mother who wasn't all that decent to begin with. She has nightmares almost nightly about her past. She's far from perfect and is a smart ass and cynic. She's feminine, yet understated. She hates all the fuss and muss over putting make up on and dressing up for social events where her husband Roarke is known throughout the galaxy. I also really love her partnership and friendship with Delia Peabody.

Peabody has come along way and now can stand on her own right when it comes to standing up for the victims of murder. She's no longer the timid police officer who stood in Eve's shadow. Her relationship with Ian McNabb has moved into a whole new stage, and I'm really hoping that one day the two of them will tie the knot.

The In Death series has moved a bunch of characters into the background. Mavis, Trina, Leonardo, and Nadine Furst are really just after thoughts who just happened to be part of Eve's extended family. Mira probably plays as an important role to Eve's sanity as Roarke does.

As for Roarke, how can anyone not love him to pieces? He, like Eve, came from a miserable background. It was filled with poverty, hunger, violent abuse and the hands of his own father. He became a street rat, thief, pick pocket and operator. Ever since meeting and falling in love with Eve, he's closed off his past, and made sure nothing can touch her. I love the fact that he knows how to settle her down when she has her nightmares, and when things don't go as planned. Besides, how can you not love half drunken sex?

Celebrity in Death, while not the best novel in the series, was still entertaining. One wonders, however, how much longer this series can be churned out by Robb before she tires of it, and decides to do something else entirely. Let's hope by that time, that Eve gets over her skittish behavior towards children.

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Thank you so much for those who stopped by and checked out my goodies for the week!

If you leave comments below, I shall endeavor to return the favor post haste :O)

This week I got a variety of different books from different places. With Netgalley and

Edelweiss not approving things as quickly, I only received 3 E-Books this week.

From Strange Chemistry via Netgalley.com

The Assassin's Curse

From Dutton Adult via Netgalley.com

From Atria Books via Edelweiss

Both won via contests! Yay!

Purchased via Walmart Blue Light Special with a sneak peek at book # 3

Borrowed from the local library

I'm pretty sure I have enough books to last me for a few weeks!

Need to update my spreadsheet so I know when the ARC's are published, and

Friday, June 22, 2012

After the events of Vanish where Miram was captured by the Enkors (dragon hunters) after failing to listen to Jacinda--Jacinda, Cassian, Will, and Tamra, have banded together in an attempt to rescue her before she is tortured and experimented on.

Jacinda, Will and Tamra had planned to leave the pride once and for-all and never look back. Cassian is along because he and Jacinda are "bonded" and they can feel each others emotions and know what the other is feeling and thinking. Plus, Jacinda feels responsible for allowing Miram to fall into the hands of the Enkros without putting up much of a fight.

Jacinda has grown leaps and bounds from the first novel. She is the one most involved in the rescue and discovery that there are other Dragon's out there that she has never met before. She really seems to understand now that she has responsibility to others, and she just can't run away when things getting rough for her.

One of newer dragons, Deghan or the gray one, ends up becoming part of the solution to rescue Miram and later, in saving Jacinda from Cassian's cousin Corbin and the hunters who find the prides hideout.

Hidden is the final novel in the Firelight series and wraps things up nicely into a little bow so that readers won't walk away from the series feeling disappointed or angry that their favorite character(s) didn't get exactly what was coming to them.

Hidden reveals several really interesting surprises that I didn't see coming. The ending will leave readers with a mixed feeling of finality and wanting more from the characters we've come to know over three books. Yet the ending will also leave your mind free to roam and to think about what the future holds in store for Jacinda, Cassian, Will, and Tamra as they each step into the future with something to hold onto.

I think readers will enjoy the newest addition to the series and what his arrival means for Tamra's future with the pride. You will see an entirely different aspect of Tamra in this edition. I'm pleased to say that she's actually grown a spine and isn't so irritating.

For those who know how much I abhor 3-way love triangles, Hidden is actually done with respect to both characters vying for Jacinda's heart and attention. I can honestly say that I don't hate, or dislike either Will or Cassian after reading Hidden to it's ending.

For those wondering if I have anything negative to say about this book. Let's just say that IT'S TOO DAMN SHORT and I WANT MORE! and leave it at that. I liked how Jordan tied up the loose pieces with not only the fate of Jacinda and Tamra's mother and father, but to expose the person most responsible for what happened to their father.

About

Hi, I'm Shelley, an avid book reader from Florida by way of New York. I read and review books of MOST GENRE's for my own personal gratification and don't mind if people disagree with my assessment as long as they respect me.
I love receiving book recommendations from my friends, and authors, and appreciate when I'm lucky enough to receive an ARC before release. I consider myself lucky enough that people actually stop by and read my reviews.